Head of Sales

Markham, ON

We help the world see new possibilities and inspire change for better tomorrows. Our analytic solutions bridge content, data, and analytics to help business, people, and society become stronger, more resilient, and sustainable.

As a key member of the OPTA senior leadership team, the incumbent will be instrumental in contributing both passion and expert knowledge to achieve revenue and EBITDA targets by leading a team of execution and customer focused product and delivery specialists. Co leading the sales vision by acting as a technical expert and consultant to the sales team and customers, identifying how to leverage Opta’s assets capabilities and products with the goal of converting solutions to revenue as quickly as possible.

Reporting to the Managing Director, the Head of Sales plays a key role in long-term strategic planning related to the organizations sustainability while fostering an environment of higher performance.

Key responsibilities of the role include developing and leading product cycles, and roadmaps to meet corporate goals, creating and leading revenue generating consulting team, execute and track day -to day customer requests and sales support, help close sales, assist in and ensure deliver of agreed service or product, manager partner and supplier relationships, identify and support development of multi-line sales channels and build and mentor a winning execution team, direct reports or otherwise.

You will work closely with OPTA R&D and Operations to ensure customer requests are satisfied and product quality and enhancements are aligned to the sales organization’s needs.

Responsibilities

Sales Operations
Identify, plan, lead and fulfill professional services opportunities and wins.
Plan, lead, deliver and use OPTA products, assets, and capabilities to ensure successful customer implementations (internal and external).
Collaboratively identify product enhancements and changes (Product Roadmaps)
Translate strategic plan into a plan of execution for Sales team(s).
Create sales strategies, product playbook, pricing strategies, templates, presentations, and tools to mature and increase sales team win rates and efficiencies.
Track, implement, regularly groom, and report sales pipeline and associated metrics.
Build, lead and manager relationships with suppliers and partners.

Leadership

Lead sales strategies, planning and overall revenue attainment.
Lead and champion NPS through successful implementations of time and material-based initiatives.
Mentor, inspire and challenge team and others to meet their full potential.
Help individuals within customer companies to succeed by delivering all projects on time and on budget.
Maintain strong relationship with Opta Operations and R&D, working collaboratively for company’s success.
Maintain strong relationship with all Verisk strategic business units, recognizing the differing market approaches.

Financial Management

Ensure business targets and financial success are tracked and targeted against the business plan.
Analyze and control expenditures within budget.
Create detailed annual revenue budgets by customer along with well understood growth assumptions and product strategies.

Sales Execution and Client Interaction

Ensure customer relationship management by establishing ongoing communication, customer satisfaction and face to face interaction.
Use consultative problem solving to create and customize solutions for clients.
Create strategy to service, maintain and increase volume of business currently being received from existing clients.
Negotiate, approve, and help close key customer accounts alongside assigned sales lead.
Participate in regular account reviews with sales team and continuous improvement mindset, identify trends initiating creative strategies to improve service to the customer.
Proactively identify and sell new products and multi-line opportunities.
Initiate both client meetings and prospect client meet as required.

Qualifications - Competencies required to Succeed

Personal Impact

Possesses tactfulness and persistence with our customers while always acting with a sense of urgency.
Provides accurate information and creative solutions for customers while taking ownership of decisions.
Honors commitments and promises, maintain confidentiality and high standards of integrity.
Has a solid understanding and ability to articulate the business value of our offerings, with a deep understanding of our target industries.
Enjoys closing sales, enthusiastic and positive, influencing and energizing the team.
Works collaboratively with others to achieve goals.

Relationships

Communicates positively to customer, provides positive expectations.
Works collaboratively and positively with all departments.
Ability to identify and remove obstacles to success through clear communication with customer.
Is an advocate for the interest of both the company and customer.
Ensures the team understands what is required and how to do it.
Ability to move team towards desired goals.

Strategy

Actively participates in the development of corporate strategy.
Understands the business, sees the big picture, and implements plans to meet corporate strategy.
Develops strategies for ensuring customer satisfaction and continued best-in-class services for our customers.

Results

Develops complex action plans and executes smoothly and efficiently.
Breaks down complex issues into manageable components identifying root cause.
Prioritizes activities to sustain and advance growth and profitability.
Creatively generate effective business solutions to meet our customers needs.
Establishes action plans to address customer needs and concerns.

Accountabilities (and to whom)

Operational effectiveness and efficiency – Managing Director
Profit and Loss of Professional Services team – Managing Director
Grow Professional Services by successfully deploying end to end business solutions.
Customer Service: Focused on increasing positive NPS across client base.
Quality: Providing timely and quality responses to customers.
Market: Understand competitive offerings.
Build a personal relationship with clients and understand their needs.

Education, knowledge, and experience required:

University degree, related role.
Extensive leadership and technical sales experience.
Insurance certifications are an asset.
8+ years of related and successful sales experience.
Proven track record in creating, managing, and growing an account portfolio.
Knowledge of underwriting, personal and commercial lines is an asset.
Strong presentation and communication skills.

What are the key deliverables (short-term/long-term) of the position:

Build and lead Professional Services division in Opta.
Deliver end to End solutions for Opta customers.
Successful achievement of revenue targets for Opta Professional Services.
Successful delivery and execution of the Business Plan and annual budget.
Create a harmonious integrated strategy between Professional Services, Opta Stakeholders, and other Verisk divisions.

In 2022, Verisk received Great Place to Work® Certification for our outstanding workplace culture for the sixth year in a row and second-time certification in the UK, Spain, and India. We’re also one of the 38 companies on the UK’s Best Workplaces™ list and one of 18 companies on Spain’s Best Workplaces™ list.

For over fifty years and through innovation, interpretation, and professional insight, Verisk has replaced uncertainty with precision to unlock opportunities that deliver significant and demonstrable impact. From our historic roots in risk assessment, we’ve grown to provide analytic insights that help transform industries focused on some of the world’s most critical areas. Today, the insurance industry relies on Verisk to be, and to make the world, more productive, resilient, and sustainable.

Verisk works in collaboration with our customers and at the intersection of people, data, and advanced technologies. Through proprietary platformed analytics, advanced modeling, and interpretation, we deliver immediate and sustained value to our customers and through them, to the individuals and societies they serve, with greater speed, precision, and scale.

We’re 9,000 people strong, committed to translating big data into big ideas. We help others see new possibilities and empower certainty into big decisions that impact individuals and societies. And we relentlessly and ethically pursue innovation to help move our customers, and the world, toward better tomorrows.

Everyone at Verisk—from our chief executive officer to our newest employee—is guided by The Verisk Way, to Be Remarkable, Add Value, and Innovate.

Be Remarkable by doing something better each day in service to our customers and each other
Add Value by delivering immediate and sustained results that drive positive outcomes
Innovate by redefining what’s possible, embracing challenges, and pushing boundaries

Verisk Businesses

Underwriting Solutions — provides underwriting and rating solutions for auto and property, general liability, and excess and surplus to assess and price risk with speed and precision
Claims Solutions — supports end-to-end claims handling with analytic and automation tools that streamline workflow, improve claims management, and support better customer experiences
Property Estimating Solutions — offers property estimation software and tools for professionals in estimating all phases of building and repair to make day-to-day workflows the most efficient
Extreme Event Solutions — provides risk modeling solutions to help individuals, businesses, and society become more resilient to extreme events.
Specialty Business Solutions — provides an integrated suite of software for full end-to-end management of insurance and reinsurance business, helping companies manage their businesses through efficiency, flexibility, and data governance
Marketing Solutions — delivers data and insights to improve the reach, timing, relevance, and compliance of every consumer engagement
Verisk Maplecroft — provides intelligence on sustainability, resilience, and ESG, helping people, business, and societies become stronger

At Verisk you can build an exciting career with meaningful work; create positive and lasting impact on business; and find the support, coaching, and training you need to advance your career. We have received the Great Place to Work® Certification for the 7th consecutive year. We’ve been recognized by Forbes as a World’s Best Employer and a Best Employer for Women, testaments to our culture of engagement and the value we place on an inclusive and diverse workforce. Verisk’s Statement on Racial Equity and Diversity supports our commitment to these values and affecting positive and lasting change in the communities where we live and work.

Verisk Analytics is an equal opportunity employer.

All members of the Verisk Analytics family of companies are equal opportunity employers. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, veteran's status, age or disability.

Unsolicited resumes sent to Verisk, including unsolicited resumes sent to a Verisk business mailing address, fax machine or email address, or directly to Verisk employees, will be considered Verisk property. Verisk will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume.

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